Reshuffling Fate
by PeachyParchment
Summary: A young farmer girl comes across a newspaper clipping on a windy day. It just so happens to be about a rookie pirate named Portgas D. Ace. Unable to forget the pirate, she makes a reckless decision. Four chapters long, will be complete by the end of the week.
1. Chapter 1

_It's funny sometimes, how fate smacks you in the face with little to no warning. Sometimes literally, other times fate tries to be a little more discreet. My fate was a little more reckless, deciding to thrust random events in my life with little to no warning._

It had been a monumentally breezy day. One could barely walk down the cobblestone streets without being battered by a storm of crumpled golden leaves and debris. The towering oak trees that sheltered the village tried their greatest to stand against the angry wind, their boughs groaning in protest as their leaves were torn from their grasps. The blanket of dead leaves resting upon the roofs of the village houses was thinner than normal, most of the leaves swirling around in the air. There was nary a soul to be seen; even the red foxes and their herring prey were taking shelter.

A farm girl sat on the windowsill in her tiny bedroom, her chin rested against the back of her hand. She glared out the window, keeping a close eye on the cattle pen by the red wood barn. She couldn't see them that well, since the field dipped a little where the pen was. Despite its rickety appearance, the fence was holding up thus far which meant she wouldn't have to brave the winds to save a stray cow. She knew she wasn't the only one keeping watch of them; the cows belonged to the entire village after all. If one goes missing, it's a huge blow to everyone, no pun intended. Watching the wind was beginning to grow boring; it had been going strong for nearly the entire day.

She sighed heavily, wondering if there was any more housework for her to do to keep her mind off her intense boredom. She turned slightly in the cushioned window seat, preparing to get to her feet, when she heard an ear shattering, hollow squeal, followed by the violent rattling over the entire house. Everything seemed to be moving – the timber walls, the cobblestone floor and even the sky above. The wind had caught her intrigue once more, drawing her attention back to the rattling window. The latch was jangling violently, prompting her to reach over to the window to secure it. However, before she could reach for it, the window burst open.

A mighty gust of wind knocked the breath from her lungs as she was pushed over backwards. Leaves and other debris streamed into her room as her possessions rattled and crashed to the floor. The wind whistled in her ears, her ears throbbing painfully at the noise. Gritting her teeth together, she pushed her way towards the window again, this time succeeding in latching it closed. For a moment, she was deeply concerned that her house was going to collapse with all these fearful wind but, before her thoughts could turn too grim, she reminded herself that this house had weathered through many a wind storm in the past.

She knew that it was best to stay inside until the wind died down; it was much too dangerous to venture out into the streets with all this debris being blown about.

She turned around, placing her hands on her hips as she exhaled noisily. She examined the carnage that had befallen her living quarters, her brow furrowing in annoyance at the mess. Well, at least she had something to do now. She promptly busied herself with sliding her books back on the oak bookshelf at the back of the room. After doing so, she decided to clean up all the paper and leaves that had settled on her bedroom floor, sweeping them into the corner with a straw broom.

She hummed as she did so, the notes of the music igniting a flow of thoughts and images in her mind. She imagined that she was a maid for a harsh king, one that would beat her if she did not clean to the best of her ability. It was a harsh thought, but it incited her enough to do a good job of straightening her room up. Her broom met with a large sheet of crumpled paper, one with words printed in tiny black font on it. Figuring that it was a newspaper, she scooped down and picked it up, wondering if there was anything worthwhile reading in there – something entertaining.

Being in a town on the center of Willowind, an island on the border of East Blue, they received little information on anything. Sure, they were visited quite frequently by people gutsy enough to head over into the Grandline, but there was never anything interesting here for them but a good place to stock up on supplies and drink aged rum. It was an insignificant island in the first place, not very wealthy, with no tourist attractions or good trade – even the people weren't all that interesting in her mind. And it was for this very reason that newspapers were so valued in Willowind – they gave insight on the more exciting places out there. The girl scrutinized the paper meticulously, craving the information that was packed into the small font.

She skimmed over most of it with a disappointed look on her face, having found nothing all that interesting. She could tell the paper was old, dated back around two months ago, meaning that its information was likely irrelevant. However, as soon as she turned the page over, a jolt of excitement trembled through her at the sight of a new piece of information, a tidbit of something that made her day.

There, printed in bold colour, was the face of a pirate she had never seen before – a surprisingly good looking one at that, she noted. He was young, around the same age as her, in fact. An arrogant smirk stretched his lips, as though he had everything under control, like he could handle whatever was to come. His gaze was partially concealed by an orange cowboy hat though his fearless glare was still visible. A light smattering of freckles dusted his cheeks, something that the girl found rather silly for a pirate to have.

Realising that she had yet to read the article, she tore her eyes away from the handsome young pirate and began to read. The article spoke of how he and his crew, the Spade Pirates, managed to take down an entire marine base with little difficulty. The feat was something to be admired, even if it were only a dingy old base positioned in the middle of East Blue. She was surprised that someone that young had amassed that much strength, that much recognition. He was the same age as her, yet was so infamous, brave and bold.

He must have seen so much – explored places that the girl could only dream of. In all honesty, she had considered setting out on the seas many times in the past. This place was too drab and dreary for her; she needed some excitement in her life, even if she was a little ashamed to admit it. She knew she was safe here and that if she was to venture out into the big wide world, she would be faced with people much bigger and stronger than she was. From this she realised why having people to travel with was so important – they were there to care for her and fight alongside her on the tossing waves.

She knew she was romanticising it but she couldn't help it; she knew she needed to get out there one day to reach her dream. After all, how can one write a story with little experience to draw upon? She realised she was staring at the young captain's photo again, a wistful smile on her face.

She wondered if she could ever join a pirate crew herself one day. She wouldn't join for the fame, or the glory. Hell, she didn't stand out enough to do that; she would be there for the adventure and the friendship. She sighed heavily, placing the paper down on her writing desk beside her bed. She pinned it to the cork board on the wall above, as a reminder of how much fun she could have if she had the guts to leave her village.

She was being foolish; she hadn't the requirements to become a pirate. She wasn't prepared to pillage towns and villages and steal from the rich. There was no way in this world that she could force herself to kill someone, even if she wasn't particularly compassionate in the first place. She scolded herself for thinking so recklessly; she had a family she needed to provide for – a family that depended on her.

She gave one last look at the Captain, searing his appearance into her mind, before she returned to cleaning.


	2. Chapter 2

_It's funny how fate has the power to make anything happen. It can crush dreams into millions of pieces or it could support them like a mother. I had always wished the latter would happen to me. Though so far, I had only been met with the former. I wondered if fate was a God, someone I needed to pray to in order to be in its favour._

It had been two weeks since that wind storm. She worked alongside her friends and neighbours in the clean-up effort as per usual. This was normal life for her; she was all too used to those wind storms. She knew that a week from now, she would be back to training, doing chores, caring for her younger siblings and working the fields

The only way for her to escape this boring day to day nonsense was through her writing. Sure, she had no idea what she was going on about half the time but it gave her a place to run away to. She praised her expansive imagination that had been with her since birth; the thing that came up with wild and crazy adventures that seeped into her dreams at night. She wished that she could have real adventures like the ones she had thought up but she knew that at the pace her life was going, that would never happen.

And on top of all this, she was destined to be married next year anyway through an arranged marriage her parents had set up for her. It was a tradition in the village, something every young person of eighteen years old had to go through. Her parents, out of love for her, went to a great effort to find someone nice for her and, in return, she accepted their kindness. She was met with the weight of having to live the rest of her life with someone she barely knew; lose her virginity to him, do whatever at his beck and call, bear a child for him. She felt neither way about this; neither happy nor upset. It felt like her life was too damn predictable.

Currently, she resting her head on the polished oaken wood of the bar top, gazing at her familiar surroundings. The fans whirred lazily above; churning the chill air and assuring that the scent of alcohol didn't accumulate too thickly. The light from the dirt clad windows was the only source of light in the place hence there were many shaded areas of the bar, places where shifty individuals would gather. Various men gathered around the circular tables, drinking and shouting conversations at one another. She had witnessed two minor pirate crews wander into the bar, causing little trouble for anyone but the waitresses. If things got out of hand, any of the bar tenders could kick their asses, including her.

She had worked at Bucking Bill's Saloon since she was fifteen years old and had grown so accustomed to the place that she knew exactly when regular customers were to show up and exactly what they would order. For example, right about now Banjo should some waltzing through those doors, claiming that he had spotted a glimpse of the mythological white fox up in the mountains again. She was right, there he was, sauntering up to the counter with his legs wide apart, hands stuffed in the pockets of his overalls.

Without him even needed to tell her, she prepared a shot of homemade bourbon for him, sliding it over to him with a nudge of her shoulder. He thanked her with the same tone and inflection he always used before he swallowed the shot in a single gulp, requesting another. As per usual, he began to speak about some made up beast he had seen in the mountains, the girl instantly tuning out in response. She had heard it all before, every day at work in fact.

He had been going on for around fifteen minutes, the girl ignoring him as she lazily cleaning out a mug with a grey-stained rag. She was beginning to think that she was trapped in some sort of time loop, figuring that would perfectly explain the repetition in her life. She then remembered that was impossible and dismissed it. Wow, the boredom was messing with her logic now, it seems. Perhaps she should go and clean the windows; that would give her something better to do that stand here and make note of who came and left. There were frequent visitors to her village, like always, but if they ever caused any trouble the town swordsmen would beat the living daylights out of them before anyone was seriously hurt. Since most of the villagers were swordsmen, there was always someone around when trouble struck.

It was a sudden bang that drew her from her mundane activities. She snapped her head towards the door, her heart thudding incrementally faster as the flurry of fearful yells and shouts reached her, followed by the clash of metal on metal, accompanied by the occasional gunshot. She was used to fights, used to the sounds and smells of it all but this fight, this one particular fight, got her heart beating and she had no idea why. She felt like she _needed_ to be out there, that this was a battle she _needed_ to witness.

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the voice of her father, who must have heard the commotion. He ran into the bar, both his swords raised and bloodied with the blood of his enemies. He shouted a string of words, words that prompted her to grope for her sword she kept under the bench and jump over the counter without any regard to the consequences of her recklessness.

"It's the Spade Pirates!"

Pirates were always a nuisance, always causing trouble. She had known people that had been killed by pirates, convinced to loathe those that hurt those she loved, just like anyone else would. Yet she didn't hold a grudge against _all_ pirates, just the ones that had pissed her off in the past. Despite her past experiences with pirates; she couldn't be happier to have a group of new, powerful pirates visit. Why? To shake things up of course, give the villagers something new to talk about for a couple of days at least; it finally gave her a chance to practice her skills in a battle against new foes.

And on top of all that, this was the Spade Pirates, the ones she had made an effort of keeping track of over the past two weeks. They had been all over the papers as of late, causing trouble in their wake. She had this feeling that they weren't like all the other boring scum she had encountered, that these pirates were unlike any other. Part of her wished to lay eyes on their Captain in real life, just to give her some sort of proof that he existed.

She heard Mr. Banjo yell at her to keep out of it, but she ignored him. She burst through the saloon gates, throwing herself right into a trivalent fight between the people she knew so well, and the pirates that knew nothing of the mundane way of life here. There were new strangers about, ones twisted by the saltiness of the seas and all its dangers. Yet they had vigour to them, an air of confidence and enthusiasm.

She heard her father call as he approached her from behind. She barely heard him; she was too overwhelmed by what was happening around her. Swords clashed against swords with screeching sounds, following by a gurgled cry as the cruel edge met its mark. The air shattering bangs of guns hurt her ears though she did not care. She saw blood splatter here and there, fists flying, curses being shouted. She could barely see through all the smoke and dust in the air, obscuring the clear, wintry blue sky above. It was all so exhilarating, her heart now racing as her veins brimmed with adrenaline.

She noticed someone coming towards her, yelling loud enough to startle her from her paralysis. She drew her katana as swiftly as she could manage, striking it downwards in a diagonal direction, blue light shining off its surface in the process. A couple seconds later, the man screamed a gurgled cry as blood spurted from a fresh wound across his chest. He doubled over and fell to the bloody cobblestone below. Watching his comrade fall with wide, angry eyes, another pirate rushed me, with his bloody fist raised. He threw a heavy punch towards her, the girl dodging with little difficulty before countering by slamming her open palm into the man's elbow hard enough to break it she then twisted around and brought a heavy kick down on his shoulder, dislocating it. Yet, unlike his associate, he didn't fall. He seemed impressed instead, raising his dagger with his functioning hand and rushed her again.

However, he halted in his tracks once he heard his name being called, his dagger inches away from the girl's chest. This gave her a perfect chance to execute a punch directly into the side of his head, using her haki to give it an extra edge. The time, the man backed down though he still did not fall. He kept his eyes on the person behind the girl instead, grinning in his direction.

The girl whipped around, bracing herself to attack again, her conviction set. She had gotten herself into this battle and there was no escaping now – she had already attacked two pirates. She let her adrenaline and blood lust fuel her as she lunged forward, giving herself no time to take in the appearance of her offender. Before she could strike however, he struck out at her, knocking her to the ground somehow.

Her head thudded in pain, her vision clouding with spots as a coppery taste hit the back of her throat, prompting her to grimace. That guy hits hard! Who the hell is he? She had never been hit so hard before in her life and she had been trained pretty harshly by her mentors. She was also very light on her feet so to have her speed bested so easily was shocking. She pushed herself up off the ground, her head swimming violently enough to make her feel as though she was about to pass out.

Her assailant must have noticed since he turned back around to her. This time, the girl took the time to get a good look at him. Her mouth dropped open slightly as she recognised him. His wavy black locks were windblown, obscuring some of his face from her. His orange cowboy hat was tipped over his forehead, his deep brown, excited eyes glaring at her from underneath. That vaguely familiar, arrogant grin played upon his lips as he let out a jovial chuckle. As he did so, she noticed the light dusting of freckles upon his cheeks.

It was the very same man she had seen in that newspaper article two weeks ago, the man whose wanted poster she had pinned to her cork board. He was the man she had dared to admire over the weeks she had known of him, after seeing all the propaganda about his adventures in the newspapers.

"Looks like someone's got some fight in them," he mused. "You're going to have to pay for hurting my crew." He brought his fists up, getting into a fighting stance. He definitely wasn't here to mess about – he was here on pirate business. She hadn't any idea as to why they were attacking the villagers but right now, she didn't care about that, and she was too busy focusing on the man before her.

"Hell yeah, bring it on Freckles," she grinned widely, scooping down and reaffirming her grip on her katana. She had tossed it aside to engage in fisticuffs with her previous opponent. The man seemed slightly offended by this however. She tilted her head in confusion, raising an eyebrow. Why was he hesitating?

"Now that's not fair," he accused, "bringing a sword to a fist fight." With that, he drew a rather large dagger from a holder at his waist, spinning it around in his palm twice before aiming it at her. "That's better." This only prompted her to roll her eyes and mouth an 'oh' before lunging towards him, driven by her lust for battle. She didn't know what drove her to attack him – she didn't even know why this fight had been started. All she knew was that these people were the enemy and that they were strong. She should probably have the safety of her friends and family on her mind. But she didn't – that was something that would only distract her from the fight and she knew it. Once in a battle, she could think of nothing else, even if she wanted to, but her actions and the actions of her opponent.

She brought her katana down as fast as she could manage, her upper arm muscles rippling with the motion. She had expected it to bite into his flesh but in the nick of time, he brought his dagger up to block her, the girl surprised by the amount of strength he was using to push her back. His muscles tensed, drawing her eyes to his bulk. He was wearing his pale yellow shirt unbuttoned, his rock hard pecs and abs laid out for all to see. He was just as muscular, if not more so than the boys who worked out on the fields every day of their lives. It was the kind of rock hard muscle that was built over time through rigorous training and fighting. She didn't let herself get distracted, catching him prepare his fist and throw it into her side. She moved away from him just in time, his knuckles grazing her white blouse. However, he seemed to have expected her to dodge, swiping at her with his dagger as she dodged past him.

The blade tore into her side, a wound that burned and began to bleed profusely. She was unsure of how serious it was but she was too busy at the moment to care.

She barely had enough time to plan her next attack before another fist came for her, this time aiming for her gut. She ducked down, swinging her sword sideways simultaneously. She had been expecting him to jump back to avoid the blade but for reasons unbeknownst to her, he took the bite recklessly. Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as she watched her blade slice straight through his gut with a flicker of flames. He showed no signs of being in pain, no signs of the katana having touched him. He noticed her surprise, taking this opportunity to knee her in the gut.

Shocked, she doubled over in pain, groaning as she fell to her knees. Intense nausea and confusion swept through her, prompting her to gulp back some bloody vomit. This guy was ridiculous – she had never faced someone like him before. She glared up at him, seeing that his grin hadn't left his face. He was holding back, and she knew it. He had power, powers that were beyond her. Perhaps she had just fought a Devil Fruit user – a kind of person she had no personal experience in sparring against. If she had known this earlier, she probably would have attacked using her haki again which she had been told was effective against any kind of enemy, even Devil Fruit users. She scolded herself for forgetting to use something so important, damn her forgetfulness.

She was about to get up, about to strike again using haki this time. She had only begun using armament haki a few months ago and as such, was still quite inexperienced at it and couldn't use it automatically when she fought. It was like she had to turn it on and off. It was the pirate's words that prompted her to change her plans.

"How about we stop all this fighting before someone gets killed?" he suggested, offering her his hand. In all honesty, he was quite impressed by her strength. However, he was pissed at her for hurting his men so he wasn't going to put on much of a gentlemanly act for her. How chivalrous, she thought as she hesitantly reached up to clasp his hand. Her fingers wrapped around his as he yanked her up forcefully. She dusted herself down, giving him a wary look. She promptly found herself on the ground again, the wind knocked out of her lungs. She growled in anger once she realised that he had tripped her when she wasn't expecting it.

"That's a little extra payback for injuring Davis and Marvin," he explained, winking. The girl understood the gesture and why he had done it but she was angry none the less. She got up on her own this time, her eyes never leaving his freckled face until he looked away first. He turned his attention towards the battle scene surrounding them, her eyes following his. She took note of the large number of villagers and pirates being carried away from the fight, bruised, battered and bleeding profusely from serious wounds. He was right, someone was going to get killed – just like the last time a strong group of pirates came to this place.

"I'm not the chief of the village, you know," she said, coughing in the middle of her sentence. She clutched at her aching gut, fighting the urge to vomit as stars began to cloud her vision. She had never been hurt like this before and he had hardly done all that much to her. She figured that she wasn't as strong as she had thought she was – that this man was miles out of her league. No one in this village would stand a chance against him.

She was actually humiliated that she was defeated so easily. Perhaps it was because he was a stranger, a dangerous stranger. She had a feeling that even with her haki cooperating with her, she still wouldn't be able to beat him. It was like he had been wrestling mountain bears for fun since he was a baby. She was surprised by his strength and appearance which had caught her off guard. Anger panged through her, though it was short lived. The fight was over; there was no point in getting pissed off about it. She would just have to train more and learn more about Devil Fruits.

"I'm sure they'll listen to reason," he said, sounding absolutely positive.

And so they did. After his words, she smirked meekly at him and he yelled at his men to stop fighting. In turn, she told her friends and neighbours to back off too; that these men would kill them if they continued to resist. Her people were hesitant to obey her, since she rarely spoke out of turn or made any effort to stand out. After her shouts, she could feel the remainder of her excitement and adrenaline drain from her like water down a drain. She locked gazes with the pirate captain for a moment, studying the triumphant look in his eyes.

"For a woman, you're not bad," he complimented. He swept his eyes over her once, noticing her pear shaped, well-muscled figure. She looked like she had spent a lot of time working her body through conventional means such as farming and training, something that seemed to be a trend in the women of this island. She wasn't bad with that sword and she could throw some decent haki around too. If she had some smart brains to top it off, and then she would definitely be a good addition to his crew.

He then reminded himself that she was a woman and would pose many problems for the crew if she was to join, simply based on that. She accepted his compliment with a more confident smirk. Well, that's a first; being acknowledged by a pirate. She then drew his gaze away from him, realising that she wouldn't be able to hold onto her consciousness much longer without the aid of the village hospital – her mother, in other words. She watched as the village chief – an old monk who had come down from the monasteries in the mountain many years before she was born – inspected the damage, shocked and appalled at what had happened.

Upon seeing the pirate, his face twisted into shock, followed by intense fear. He pat the girl's shoulder gently before her father lead her away in the direction of the hospital, scolding her for being so idiotically reckless – that he would have killed her if he saw fit. She scowled, staring over her shoulder at the captain, trying to hide her wonder as she strained to listen in on their conversation. She knew she had been reckless, she was well aware of the danger she had been in. Now that the fight was over, new feelings set in; the feeling that she had just accomplished something alien, that the person she had fought was from another world completely unknown to her.

She had felt it before; she had been too blinded by her excitement and anticipation of the battle. But she now realised that he had scared her. What she had seen him do, how her blade skimmed through his body entirely; it was inhuman and it scared the living daylights out of her.

Yet all the same, it ignited an intense curiosity within her, one she had never felt before.


	3. Chapter 3

_I couldn't stop thinking about him and his crew after that fight. All I could think of was all the things I had heard of them accomplishing, all the hushed rumours about them I caught from the normal pirates who visited. They were so infamous already and they hadn't even entered the Grandline yet. It had me thinking; just how good is the life of a pirate?_

Slipping on her brown leather boots and fox-pelt jacket, she plodded through her small household towards the front door, passing by the kitchen and grabbing an apple on the way. As she bit into it with a loud, succulent crunch, she stared out the kitchen window positioned above the sink. The dark sky was dotted with tiny lights that were barely visible through the thinning foliage of the oak trees. One particular oak tree seemed to be cradling the moon in her boughs, as if lulling it to sleep so that she sun could rise.

She heard the faint howl of a wolf in the distance, indicating to her that it was time to head off to work. They would always howl at the moon at approximately 6:00 pm, the time she was meant to go to Bucking Bill's Saloon. Yawning loudly, she tossed the apple core into a nearby bin, wishing that she didn't have to work such late hours on Fridays. And on top of that, she was sure the Spade Pirates would be there tonight, making a din as they drunk and ate merrily.

She pulled open the door as quietly as possible, making sure not to disturb her sleeping family. The breeze generated by the notion prompted the wall of leaves that had built against the door to come tumbling into her kitchen. She kicked a few of them out of the way, being too lazy to clean up right now. She closed the door behind her with a gentle click.

The village was, in her ignorant mind, the most peaceful place on earth at night. A cool, strong breeze picked at her clothes and rattled the soft wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the majority of the houses. The sounds created a familiar tune in the night air, a tune that was occasionally punctuated by the howl of a wolf, the hoot of an owl or the scuttle of other animal nightlife. She trudged through the leaves that cluttered the pitted cobblestones, watching the towering oak trees groan and shake in the breeze, dropping some of their leaves once in a while. She could see; the street lights gave her plenty of light. She jumped from circle of light to circle of light, like she was playing hopscotch.

As she approached the corner of the street, she could hear the cheers of the pirates growing louder, along with the tune of upbeat folk music. She hesitated once she rounded the corner, the familiar sight of the saloon coming into view. The place looked like any old saloon; old, rickety, and crafted from long wooden planks. The only thing that made it stand out was the board nailed just above the door, of a fat man with his ass-crack showing, riding a bucking bull. Japanese lanterns with the kanji for 'booze' printed on them hung on the eaves just beside the swinging doors. They were out of place but the owner thought they gave the saloon more character.  
Despite living here her entire life and being familiar with the place inside and out, knowing that there were actually powerful pirates in the village gave an air of tension and mystery to old Willowind. She needed to see them again, even if they were meant to be enemies. And since she worked in the saloon, it would give her the perfect opportunity.

She remembered the thoughts that ran through her head when she saw that news article two weeks ago, how she had wondered what kind of adventures they had gone on during their journeys across the ocean. Of course, she wasn't going to forgive the pirates for injuring so many of her friends and neighbours but, all in all, she believed they needed the excitement. After the chief's chat with the captain after the battle, he decided to leave us alone for the time being – after being given a down payment of two million belli and five gallons of rum of course. She received word that he would be staying here tomorrow to gather supplies before they headed out again at nightfall. This would give her time to follow them around inconspicuously she hoped. She didn't know why she was so interested in them and frankly, she didn't care by this point. She was interested them and that was that.

What was she going to gain from speaking with them and following them? All she wanted was to hear a single story, just one legitimate story about the world beyond this island, not one that was tainted by the government and scholars. She wanted the hard truth about the world; she didn't care whether it was good or bad – she _needed_ to know. She couldn't exactly explain why, it was more like an innate desire, something that wasn't of this world, just like the man she had met earlier that day.

Yellow light glowed behind the saloon's its dirty windows, seeping over and underneath the gates, beckoning to her, drawing her in from the darkness of outside. She could here drunkard cheering and chanting from within, fears bubbling within her. She, a _woman_ , was about to walk into a bar filled with drunk _men_. She reminded herself of that every day she showed up to work – it was a bad habit. She reassured herself that things wouldn't end up like that again; she would kick their ass before that happened. She stroked the hilt of her katana in an attempt to soothe herself before she dredged up the confidence to stride into Bucking Bill's Saloon - through the back door to the bar of course.

She was embraced into a raucous din as she switched jobs with her fellow bartender, glaring out over the counter top with a blank look in her eyes. Her associate gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before she headed out back for a smoke, leaving her alone at the bar. Her head was swimming with the sheer number of conversations and things that were going on.

It was only the Spade Pirates here today, having intimidated any other pirate group or villager that usually showed up at this time. They were a small crew, consisting of around ten members but they made enough noise and mess to make it seem like there was thirty of them. Upbeat music was playing from the piano at the back of the saloon, the pianist looking very frightened by the situation he had gotten himself into. Someone was chugging an entire barrel of beer in the corner, someone else was harassing one of the women she worked with (though she seemed like she was enjoying it), people were dancing on the tabletops, everyone was drinking, and many were stuffing their faces full of food. She grimaced at the realisation she would be tasked with cleaning this up tomorrow.

She decided to distract herself from the party by polishing the bar top, something she habitually did to help her pass the time. She aimed to get it shiny enough to reflect her face. No one seemed to notice her presence, which brewed mixed emotions for her. She wanted to speak to their Captain and get some questions answered but on second thought, she didn't want to piss them off by saying the wrong things.

Speaking of the Captain, he was one of the people dancing on the tables, a leg of half eaten mutton lodged in his mouth. He clearly did not have a care in the world right now, despite everyone he had injured and all the horrors he must have seen during his travels. His freckled cheeks were rosy, his mouth split in a massive, goofy grin. His raven hair was tousled, falling over his face as he moved. He had discarded his shirt, further showing off his muscular physique. The girl cleared her throat, though nobody heard her over the noise. She caught herself staring at him and turned away, sighing at the realisation that she would be staring at him wistfully all night if she didn't call him over now.

"Portgas D. Ace," she said, loud enough for the careless man to actually hear her. He abruptly stopped dancing, turning his gaze towards the girl at the bar. He grinned arrogantly, tipping his hat slightly as he greeted her with a simple 'yo,' and a wave. She wondered if he even recognised her, lifting her hand to gingerly wave back as a force of habit.

"That's the name, don't wear it out," he chuckled, jumping down from the table and striding over to the bar. With one hand, she gripped the edges of the counter, as to comfort her somewhat. Her other hand tightened around her katana as she gazed at him, wondering how he was going to react to the stupid questions she was about to ask him. She felt like an ant before him, insignificant in the face of his radiating power and unfamiliar air. He placed his hands on his hips, bending down a little to get a better look at her.

"Wow, you really don't stand out in a crowd," he noted. "I wouldn't have noticed you if you weren't standing behind the counter." The girl agreed with him helplessly, not insulted in the slightest. Her own mother didn't recognise her in a crowd most of the time, even if she was only a few feet away. She let go of her katana, resting her hand on the now polished counter.

"Yeah, I know," she replied with a shrug. He gave her a small grin before requesting a mug of rum. She got to work preparing that as she tried to smoothly move into a decent conversation. "So, I want to ask you a few questions, if that's okay with you." Ace seemed annoyed by this, leaning back from her again and folding his arms across his muscled chest. He narrowed his eyes at her, pouting like a child.

"I don't like being interrogated," he said simply as she handed him a foaming mug of grog.

"Well too bad," she answered bluntly, not being in the mood to argue with him, she just wanted answers. Or at least, that's what she told herself. Part of her just wanted to speak to him, hold a conversation with such a powerful, infamous individual. She watched as Ace took a massive swig from the drink with little effort, like he was thirty years old and had sailed the seas all his life.

He tilted his head to the side slightly as he waited for her to ask whatever questions she had to ask. He didn't really care what she had to say, he just surprised she decided to speak to him after he kicked her ass so hard, along with all her neighbours. Maybe she was here for revenge? Well, even if she was, he could just kick her ass twice as hard and be done with her. If not, she was probably going to ask about his powers and his life as a pirate, why he's so reckless, same old, same old stuff.

"You cheated earlier," she said simply, recalling the burst of flame that had appeared when she struck him with her sword. He chuckled loudly, as if he had seen her words coming.

"That's not a question," he sneered, prompting the girl to shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Ace shook his head and decided to explain anyway. "It was unavoidable; I'm a logia type Devil Fruit user. If I see an attack coming, it will go straight through me," he explained in a prideful tone. He was pretty inexperienced with his Devil Fruit though, having eaten it only a month prior to coming to this island. He could barely keep it under control at times which posed a serious threat to his crew.

As if on cue, his hand caught on fire, prompting the girl to gasp and take a few steps backwards. Ace frowned as he focused on getting the flames under control. By the time he did so, he felt quite proud of himself, completely ignoring the scorch mark on the counter. The girl, wide eyed and awe stricken, slowly approached him again, dumbstruck by his sudden display of power.

This definitely piqued the girl's interest. She had only heard about Devil Fruit once or twice during her recent years of schooling which was around three years ago now. It was a topic that wasn't well known or discussed very often in such a remote area of East Blue so to meet someone with a logia type fruit, one of the rarer kinds, was almost an honour. And to be made out of fire! Oddly enough, she had always been entranced by fire, despite how destructive it could be. She was drawn to fire, in the same fashion as a moth. There was no rhyme or reason to it. She would love to see Ace's powers in action more. Unfortunately, here was definitely not the time or place for that kind of thing.

"You look like you've never seen a Devil Fruit power in your life," Ace noted upon taking notice of the look of wonder in her intense green eyes. She nodded slowly, contemplatively.

"You're the first pirate with a Devil Fruit to visit this place in centuries," she said as she traced the woodwork of the counter. He didn't appear to be listening to that particular comment entirely, his gaze focused on the drink he was poising at his lips. He took a heavy swig, noticing that he had reached the bottom of his mug. Seeing this, the girl slid over an entire bottle of rum, his face lighting up with joy at the notion.

"This is going to sound pretty stupid," she said, her expression being serious. "But what is being a pirate like?" The words hung in the air for a few moments as Ace uncorked the bottle before swiftly taking a gulp of the mixture. He nodded in agreement, finding that the rum was aged to perfection, before turning his attention back to her. He hadn't quite been expecting her to ask a question like that, something that he would be so happy to answer. She watched as an earnest grin appeared on his lips. His entire face seemed to light up with joy and enthusiasm. She wondered just what facet of piracy made him _that_ content.

"Freedom," he replied, as if the word unlocked all the secrets of the world.

The girl's eyes widened at the simple, yet meaningful word. She resisted the urge to ask him what he meant; she knew what he meant, she was just having trouble comprehending. If she was to become a pirate, would she be free of day to day boredom? If not then what exactly would she be free from? Maybe it was from government, perhaps, or convictions and responsibilities? In retrospect, it was probably all of the above; hence Ace had chosen to use that one, all-encompassing word. Would she be free of discrimination too? No, there would be _more_ discrimination in fact but if she was a pirate, she needn't care, hell; she could kick their asses if she wanted to for pissing her off.

But she needed more answers. Piracy was so popular nowadays; the freedom can't be all there is to it. There had to be something else. She had always thought it was the adventure and the allure of fame that drew them to it – now was a perfect time to see if she was right.

"What about the adventure? The fame?" she asked, resting her chin on the back of her hands. Ace nodded in agreement, his grin growing wider.

"Of course, can't be a pirate without all that!" he cheered. "We're going to be the most infamous bastards in the world. Right, men?" They cheered in accordance with their captain, the loud shattering of someone dropping a glass mug being heard as the shouting died down somewhat. As if their Captain hadn't spoken, they returned to their previous festivities. The girl caught out of the corner of her eye another man approaching them, slumping down in a bar stool on the other side of Ace. He grinned at the girl, prompting her to smile politely back. She then realised she was being polite towards a pirate and scolded herself.

He must be one of the Spade Pirates since, apart from her and the waitresses; they were the only people here. He wore a tan coloured cowboy hat which sported vibrant red tassels tied around it with a red crossed medallion attached to the front of it. He looked older than Ace did, by a good ten to fifteen years – she noticed laugh lines set into his face and thick stubble around his chin. He appeared to be missing some teeth; his upper right canine and lower left incisor. He was good looking for a pirate but definitely not as handsome as his Captain; in her opinion anyhow. But what mystified the girl the most was the kind, cheery look in his eyes, as if he had every reason to be nice to her. He was a pirate; that kind of look would give people the wrong impression.

"You wouldn't believe what we've seen," the newcomer boasted, though his tone gave the impression that he was merely stating a fact. His words reminded her of Banjo's three o'clock rants, making her lose interest slightly for a few moments habitually. His next statement, however, brought her back to reality. "Have you heard of the Shrieking Sirens?" Ace snorted at his words, looking slightly flustered. The girl could have sworn that he was blushing but she promptly reminded herself that he was drunk and was likely flushed as a cause of it.

"Ah yes, the ones that capture you and give you a night of Heaven-like pleasure before they tear your innards out and devour you?" questioned Ace with a playful hint to his tone. The way he said 'Heaven-like pleasure' prompted a faint blush to taint the girl's cheeks. She hoped it wasn't noticed in the dim light of the bar. Ace had heard the story countless times in the past. There was little, if any, truth to it but it was a good story. He'd been told many different accounts of them – he had even made up some of his own. Though he wasn't so sure it would be decent to tell said stories to the girl behind the counter – she looked rather disturbed, in fact.

"Interesting," she replied through gritted teeth. Sure, she wanted to know the deep dark secrets of the world but that didn't mean she wouldn't be repulsed by some of the things she heard. Both men gave each other a knowing glance before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. The girl furrowed her brow in annoyance, wondering what on earth was so funny. She hated it when people kept things from her, even meaningless things.

"It's nothing a lass like you should worry about," spoke the newcomer again, hence making her more frustrated. "Now, what do really want to know about piracy?" This, the girl could not answer, putting aside her frustration and focusing on the question he had asked her. She remembered the other question she had come up with on her way down here, hoping that they wouldn't react badly to her next one.

"Why do you plunder and steal from others? I see no point in it," she stated, lifting herself up and sitting on the edge of the counter as she spoke. The men's expressions turned more serious, the younger male being the one to answer her as the older took a swig of rum. The girl was a little afraid of the answer, after the hush of seriousness that fell over them. She then wondered why she was so afraid of the truth, giving way to her curiosity once more.

"We do what we want, when we want. Think about all those people you've ever wanted to punch. You were afraid of hitting them because you would get in trouble right?" the Captain began, enthusiasm flickering in his brown eyes as he revealed to her the secret of a pirate's violence. "As a pirate, you don't need to care about getting in trouble; we are the trouble. We take what we want, say what we want and act how we want. And no one can tell us 'no'."

The older man nodded with a stupid grin in agreement, clapping him on the back, complimenting him on his well-articulated speech. This prompted the younger man to grin arrogantly, clearly pleased with his speech. The girl rolled her eyes while they weren't watching, a small smile on her lips.

She understood him completely, even going so far to agree with him. She was shocked at how believable his words were, how justifiable they were in her mind. She should have disagreed with him, accused him for being so cruel to others for his own game and satisfaction. Yet she couldn't help but recall all the times she had wished to simply beat someone up or take something that wasn't hers.  
Now she was definitely beginning to see why people chose the life of piracy, and she hated herself for letting herself wonder just how much of a pirate she would make. She knew she couldn't, that she wasn't strong enough to venture out in a world filled with powerful individuals like Ace. She had yearned to, God, she wanted just to leave this island and have an adventure filled with wonder and glory. She wanted to taste new foods, feel the sea spray on her tanned skin, meet new and strange people, grow in power and chase the tale of romanticism and happiness.

"Happiness…," she muttered out loud, surprising herself. It appeared that the Captain and his mate hadn't heard her, leaving her alone to her own thoughts. In fact, they had stopped paying attention to her all together, drinking and going on about what kind of things they lay waiting for the on the Grandline. They had pretty much forgotten the presence of the bartender, absorbed in their own drunken, wild fantasies.

She couldn't leave this island. Just like the last time she had considered leaving, she was reminded by the glint of the warm light off the golden ring clasped around her ring finger, thoughts of her family and friends flooding into her mind. It was like she was desperate to keep herself tied up in this mundane life, despite her lust for freedom and adventure. Deep down, she was afraid of the unfamiliarity, of the unpredictability.

She had her entire life planned out for her here, she always had. She was the first born among six children – her mother was a nurse, her father was a farmer. She was given the most responsibility out of all her siblings, since they all looked up to her and, according to her parents, were sure to pick up some of her habits. And, in a recent turn of events, she was engaged to her arranged partner and set to be married in earlier July, a few weeks from this day.

She wished she could just throw this life behind her, but she knew her entire village would hate her for doing so, hate her for betraying their way of life and making a bad example of herself for her younger siblings and her partner would be devastated. She wasn't the first to leave the island, of course, many had to become pirates. These people were highly stigmatized, hated by their once friends and family.

And that was why I couldn't leave. Well, on top of the danger the seas posed anyway.

"How lucky you guys are," she mused out loud, catching their attentions again. "I would have left this mundane place long ago if I could." Ace raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell was important enough to keep her from her dreams. He then belched a stream of fire, scaring the girl enough to prompt her to jump backwards to avoid her eyebrows getting singed. The other pirate, however, understood entirely, simply regarding her with a knowing look as he drank. Slowly, the girl lowered his guard as Ace returned to sleepily drinking from a bottle of wine he had requested for some reason.

"What's holding you back? Do what you want to do; you don't need to care what others will think. And, on top of that, being a pirate is about the best thing on this planet," Ace assured her, his tone serious; his eyes filled with knowing and experience. Hearing something so moving after seeing him belch like that gave the poor girl a bit of whiplash but she understood him nonetheless. He really had no need to be talking to her about such things but he wasn't about to let some woman dismiss her own dreams for others personal desires.

He was fully aware that a woman like her wouldn't last a day out there on her own but that was none of his concern. Maybe if she were to survive, she would become a powerful rival like the other rookies he had met. That would be interesting, to say the least.  
She was about to tell him that she had a family, one that needed her. She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again, not wanting to waste the man's time with any further questions. She returned to polishing the already over polished counter, trying hopelessly to get rid of the scorch marks Ace left behind. Her mind swum with further questions and arguments, her heart beating heavily once more with stress and anxiety. She couldn't deny her dreams now; she couldn't just bottle them up within her. She needed to get out of here; she needed to taste the outside world and learn of this freedom the Captain spoke about with such reverence.

"But if you are considering the life of piracy," said Ace, locking gazes with her. "Remember that I'm the man who will become the next Pirate King." She leaned forwards, resting her forehead in her palms, shocked that he had proposed such a foolish notion. He was a criminal, hated the world over, why the hell would someone as young and carefree as him yearn for such a title. In a hot flash, she recalled that word again, freedom.

Now that she thought about it, that man, ironically, would have been the freest man in the world. This was enough to twist her shock into understanding, a smile quirking the corners of her lips. She stood up straight again, being met with the most self-confident smirk she had seen in her life. That man definitely thought highly of himself – or so she thought.

"Oh, and you're a woman so you probably won't survive a week out there without anyone helping you out," he added, a cheeky grin on his face. The girl shrugged, realising that he was probably right about that. But it was worth a shot; or at least she hoped it was. She still wasn't sure about it just yet and she knew she was going to be up the rest of the night thinking about it.

"Who says I'm set on anything?" she chuckled. Ace shook his head as he tore his gaze away from her, wondering why people like her hadn't left for the seas yet. Sure, she was weak, sure she was a woman, sure she knew nothing about the seas – but she had a passion burning within her, something even Ace could identify beyond the uncertainty that clouded her green eyes.

Ace and his companion soon returned to messing about with the rest of their crew, leaving the girl to simply watch on. She was wrong earlier, about her not being able to take her eyes off him unless she called him over. Even after speaking to him, she still couldn't keep her eyes off him. She halfheartedly listened in on some of their slurred, very strange conversations, laughing to herself every now and then, smiling all the while. She was bored, she assumed so naturally, she would entertain herself by watching the Spade Pirates.

This seemed the most logical reason to her and she felt that she had come up with the right answer.


	4. Chapter 4

_I spent the rest of the night and the day following thinking about things – the Spade Pirates and pirates in general. I spoke to my family a lot the following day, as if I would never see them again. Of course I love them; they are my family after all._

 _I tried at first to avoid the Spade Pirates during the day, forcing myself to keep from annoying the hell out of them. But, being me, I gave in and decided to help them gather supplies for their upcoming journey. I learnt that the older man from last night had a name; Thomas Dillan. He prefers to go by his epithet, however, which I learnt was 'Click.' I got a chance to speak to him and Ace more, holding light conversations – nothing too deep. Ace didn't seem too enthusiastic about me following him around, yelling at me eventually for being so damn annoying. That prompted me to listen to my common sense and scold myself for not listening to myself before._

 _I had definitely made my mind up by that point, despite feeling dizzy by the sheer amount of things that would happen as a cause of my decision. It felt like fate was slowly pulling a door open; the one I had been telling myself to leave locked for years on end._

 _I had realised that I just couldn't stay here anymore – I was too enamored by the allure of the ocean and its people; too taken by the life of piracy Ace had described to me. But I knew I couldn't let them know I was leaving. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance out there with my current looks or on my own so I was willing to make some dangerously reckless compromises. I was desperate now, desperate to grasp hold of the dreams that had evaded me for so long._

She scrutinized her appearance in the mirror as she bunched her hair in her fist, picking up her katana from beside her. In a single, swift motion, she cut the long strands of honey coloured hair, her hands shaking unsteadily as she did so. She figured it would only get more in the way now, with all the work she was sure she would have to do on a ship. She frowned in the mirror, asking herself one last time if she was truly prepared to do this.

She sighed heavily, finding that the answer was yes. She had thrown away all her other commitments, despite how selfish and foolish she believed she was being, despite how angry her family and neighbours would be once they found her gone. But she needed to get out there and she had made up her mind to do so, after all these mundane years she spent dreaming of it.

She had decided she was going to explore the world and write stories about her experiences, ones that were realistic and prompted her heart to thud in exhilaration. The kinds stories that she would be able to pass onto the children of the next generation and inspire them to embark on their own adventures. She would become stronger, stronger than she could ever imagine. She would become wealthier, infamous and maybe even respected by the odd few. She reached for the skies, reaching for that freedom the Captain of the Spade pirates spoke of two nights ago.

Speaking of him, he was right about her not being strong enough to go on her own. Her answer to that problem involved doing one of the most reckless things she had ever done in her life but right then, she didn't care. It may have been reckless but reckless was who she was meant to be, not this girl who tried her best to conform to everyone else's ideals. She was tired of her opinions being muffled by the majority, tired of hiding the inner carnal beast inside of her, she was going to go out there and do whatever the hell she wanted. To hell with her responsibilities, she wanted a life of excitement and unpredictability damn it.

With an uneasy grin, she gathered her backpack. She assured that the drawstring was tightened and tied up to avoid any of her possessions falling out. She spun around once in the clothes she had chosen to wear for her first night as a pirate – nice, simple, and easy to move around in. She slipped her katana into the sash she had tied around her waist, taking a deep breath as she grabbed the note she had written and left her room.

She wandered throughout her household, as quietly as she could muster; assuring that she stepped on the floorboards that did not creak. She visited each one of her sibling's rooms, fighting back tears as she kissed their foreheads, realising just how much she was going to miss them. She was going to long to hear their cheerful voices again, see them running around and playing happily without a single care in the world. Now that she was really leaving, she began to feel the gravity of her situation.

Maybe she could visit one day, tell her little brothers and sisters about her adventures – leaving out all the gory details of course. Part of her wished to play with them for just one last day but she reminded herself that the Spade Pirates were leaving tonight and that this was her last chance to catch them before they drifted from her grasp.

Finally, she entered her parent's room. She crept over their bedside table, gingerly placing the note down on top of it. Under her breath, she thanked them for supporting her all these years, even if they were restricting her from doing the things she dreamed of and stopping her from being her true self. Their intentions were always good and she had always loved them. Tears slid from her eyes as she gazed at the ring adorning her finger as she gently pulled it off, placing it on top of the note.

If she were to stay just a couple weeks longer, she would have been married to one of her closest friends. She had never had a problem with this, apart from their future together being predictable. Deep down, she knew that she would learn to love him earnestly over the years but in all honesty, she wanted to meet someone out there on the seas and fall in love – if that kind of thing happened to pirates anyway.

With a wistful smile, she backed out of the room, apologising softly to her parents as she wandered into the kitchen. She grabbed an apple, eating the entire thing before she finally stepped towards the door, her hand resting upon the doorknob. She wanted to say goodbye to everyone but she knew she couldn't; that they wouldn't let her leave. She knew that if they tried hard enough, she would end up staying. She just couldn't let them convince her to stay any longer.

Throbs of pain trembled through her stomach due to anxiety, making her feel sick. Her hand trembled as she twisted the door knob, thrusting herself outside and into the chill breeze. She closed the door behind her with a click, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. She needed to be strong; she going to be a pirate after all, she could finally be herself.

It was just after nightfall, giving her plenty of time to catch the Spade Pirates before they left without her. It was around a forty minute walk to the port but she figured it would take at least ten minutes less time if she were to run. So she set off at a speedy jog, not wanting to tire herself out too quickly. She wondered what drew her to the Spade Pirates so much. Hell, she barely knew them at all. Despite her desperate mind trying to find an answer, she knew that she didn't have a real one, yet. There was just something about them that tugged at her core, her _spirituality_ almost.

She felt like her fate was with them, yelling at her to come join them for the greater good. And she believed it. How could she go against her destiny?

She ran through the autumn leaves, feeling the rush of the strong breeze tear through her clothes and hair and making her feel as though she were flying. This was something she always enjoyed doing, no matter how many times she did it. She felt at one with the air and the sky, bringing her to a state of peace and happiness. She kept her eyes set ahead, focused on the lights darting around the ship docked up ahead. She could barely see anything else, the darkness was too thick, so she tripped over occasionally but she picked herself up each time.

Soon enough, she reached the port, dashing past the shanty, wooden and corrugated iron houses on her way to the dock. This place was a lowly populated area of the island; there were only ten villagers here, last time she checked. Trash littered the streets and overflowed from barrels yet they didn't bother her as she sprinted towards the wharf. Since barely anyone visited their island, they had not the need for a large port, hence the disrepair.

Her lungs burned yet she kept running. She could now see that they had almost finished loading all of their stock onto their ship, something that made panic rise within her as she caught sight of the Spade Pirate's Captain; the one she had been pestering yesterday. She took not notice of the ship, figuring that she would get a much better look at it later – her gaze was trained solely on Ace.

"You better not be leaving without me!" she called, panting heavily as she skidded to a halt some feet away from him. He was surprised to see her for a moment, his brown eyes flickering with amusement before they clouded over with irritation. He was honoured by her desire to join him but he had reasons, few as they may be - why she couldn't travel with them.

"You follow me around all day and now you want me to bring you with me?" he asked, scowling at her. She was not perturbed by his hostile turn towards her. He folded his arms across his chest as she caught her breath, bracing her hands on her knees. She knew it was a stretch, hell, it was a stupidly reckless decision but she was going to see it through. She knew that she had really pissed him off throughout the day with all her questions and that he would most likely have a tainted opinion about her at the moment but she didn't care.

"Yep, what you said yesterday night really got to me," she said, straightening up. "I want to be a pirate, I want to be free."

"I told you, you won't last a week out here," he accused as he hefted up a heavy crate, handing it to one of his fellow crew members.

She watched as said member carried it onto the ship looming against the wooden wharf. She watched the water lap at its hull, wishing that she could see it clearer through the darkness so that she could see what her new home would look like.

"You pissed me off all day!" he shouted. "Why would I let some annoying woman into my crew?"

"I wasn't intending to piss you off," she replied hastily, not wanting to ruin her chances altogether. "I was just curious. I was planning on avoiding you all day but I told myself that anything that excites you and frightens you all the same is worth doing."

"Bold words but you're not joining my crew," he snapped, taking a few steps towards her. She had a good point but he insisted on being stubborn. His eyes were bright with intensity, his lips curled in a frown. He didn't hate her or anything; he was just pissed off by her following him around the whole day. The only time she actually left for a little was when he yelled at her and scared her off.

Click, the older man the girl had met yesterday night at the bar, joined in on their conversation, placing a heavy hand down on Ace's shoulder. He muttered to him about giving her a chance, a test, that she may be good for everyone on the crew. Ace didn't believe him, stating that having a woman in his crew would just be distracting and degrading. He earned a swift smack over the back of the head, prompting him to shout in anger and throw a punch towards the elder who dodged with little effort.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his eyes filled with the same kindness she had witnessed before. She nodded slowly. He could tell right away how nervous she was to be doing something like this. In all honesty, it was rather adorable but it was a sign of weakness, something that can't be overlooked.

"You don't know that," she said in reply to Ace's comment, trying her best to sound confident despite her obvious nerves and the growing pain in her stomach. "Look, whatever you say, I'm joining." She sounded sure on her actions but her words offered less strength to back her up, her voice nervous and strained.

"Why don't you go pester some other pirate crew?" he suggested. This conversation was boring him fast – he just wanted to finished loading the ship and get off this island. He didn't particularly mind the island or anything, he just really wanted to head on over to the next island which had some pretty odd tourist attractions, or so he heard. And on top of that, there was a particular restaurant there he wished to visit.

"Because you're cool, and flashy and strong," she said, scolding herself for sounding like a three year old. Ace snorted in approval of her compliments, surprised to hear them from her. He stepped towards her a little more, his attention having been caught once more. She was right of course, he did think pretty highly of himself and her words only inflated his ego. The girl was surprised that she had let that slip but since what was done is done, she decided to quickly move on.

"So, just give me a chance-," she was cut off Click as he stepped between her and Ace.

"And you won't let us down? I presume?" he predicted. The girl nodded vigorously in response, eagerness in her eyes. "Look, Captain, just give her a go, she looks like she won't leave you alone if you don't." Ace was met with a predicament. He didn't want to be here all night arguing with her but he didn't want to induct someone weak like her into his crew. He could just say no and turn away from her now, but the determination in her green eyes was carnal, something that wouldn't be swayed with whatever he had to say to her.

He rolled his eyes, figuring that he might as well listen to his first mate and test her, just like he had tested all his other crew mates before they joined. "Alright, Blondie. If you can land a decent blow on my first mate here, I'll let you join. If you lose, however, you have to turn right back to your little village, okay?" She seemed satisfied by this, seeing that it was only fair. She nodded in agreement, smirking as she drew her sword. She stood rigidly in a fighting stance, trying her hardest to push her anxiety from her mind.

"No, no. Fist fight," Click pointed out. "Think of it as a basic strength test. Without that kind of strength, you'll never survive the rigging." The girl furrowed her brow in annoyance, sheathing her sword and raising her fists. She silently thanked her father for teaching her martial arts – something she was rather contrary to practicing. He could see how hesitant she was to return her weapon to its scabbard and toss it aside along with her bag. She cracked her knuckles sickeningly before raising her dukes.

"Hey, you're not the only one who's insecure without a weapon," he said, winking as he said so. This caught the girl of guard, prompting her to shuffle awkwardly. "Watch this Captain." Ace smirked, sitting down on a nearby barrel as the rest of his small crew noticed the beginnings of the fight, forming a circle around them. Ace folded his leg over the other, keeping close watch of the combatants. He was expecting her to lose, she was strong, and he knew that from watching her fight back at the bar. But he knew all too well how powerful his first mate was.

She knew why she was fighting and she wasn't about to repeat herself again – her resolution was already set as hard as concrete. But on top of all that, she wanted to wipe that disbelieving smirk off Portgas D. Ace's face and prove to him that her strength could be trusted.

"Let the girl hit first!" someone called from the crowd with a somewhat flirtatious tone to his voice that sent shivers down the girl's spine. Click shrugged, grinning cockily in her direction. He was going to go easy on the girl, of course – she _was_ a girl. And, apart from that, he liked her fire. He kept close watch of her yesterday during her antics with Ace. He had a strong feeling that she would do just fine with the Spade Pirates and he knew, deep down, Ace believed the same thing. His Captain just wanted to test her to assure that she wouldn't struggle too much.

"Sure, lady's first after all," Click sneered teasingly. The girl huffed in approval as she called on that fiery spunk she had experienced during that fight two days ago. For a moment, she was concerned that it wouldn't come back to her. That was until she found herself darting forward with a momentum she only used against her quick and powerful sensei. She readied her fist, preparing to slam it into her opponent's guts. Within moments, he had dodged, her fist grasping air as she saw a fleeting afterimage of him. Confused, she waited for signs of movement.

She heard the crunch of boots on the dirt behind her, prompting her to swing to the side to avoid an incoming punch. Swiftly afterwards a kick came towards her, one that hit her hard on the shoulder and bringing her crashing onto the ground. She quickly got up again, ignoring the pain. She jumped just in time to avoid a sweeping kick that was meant to bring her down to the ground again.

"You're fast, I like that," he noted as she began calculating her next attack. She took the comment with a sincere smile as he rushed her again, this time planning to knee her in the gut. She saw through this, being averse to getting hit in the gut again – she was planning to have children someday. Just as his knee was about to meet her stomach, she moved to the side slightly, smirking evilly as she struck a punch right into his manhood.

She caught herself chuckling as he leaped backwards, cupping a hand over his balls as he grimaced in pain. The crowd around her grimaced as well, some of them were noting at just how underhanded that was. She heard Ace break out into laughter behind her, his mood clearly being raised by the fight. She was surprised that they weren't expecting her to do that – the balls were a man's weakness after all.

"You're a damn dirty fighter," he commented once he calmed down somewhat. "Great for piracy but please don't use that again on my poor first mate."

"Thank you and I won't do it again," she thanked, putting on a mock polite tone as he picked himself up, regaining his composure. She was actually a little touchy around the subject of a man's nether regions so pulling a move like that was rather embarrassing for her.

"Does that count, Ace?" she asked, turning her attention towards the raven-haired captain. He shook his head, no. It was hilarious but he wanted to see her land a real attack on him, not one that would have made any man double over in pain. Except him of course, he could simply dissipate into fire and avoid every attack she threw at him.

Back to the battle, now. The girl braced herself as Click disappeared into thin air, leaving her to anticipate another surprise attack. She felt pain tremble through her body as she copped a kick into her side, sending her staggering into the crowd. Someone pushed her back up again, groping her ass a little in the process which prompted her to blush and resist smacking the shit out of whoever had been so bold. If she gets manhandled like that after she had joined; those men were going to have hell to pay.

A sharp pain indicated to her that she had reopened the wound Ace had given her not long ago, prompting her to wince. She tried to move past the pain as she focused on her opponent. She couldn't let that weaken her now, not when she was so close to getting what she wanted.

"This is embarrassing," she admitted as he came for her once again. This time, however, she was ready for her opponent's attack. She felt a rush of wind beside her head, realising that he was aiming for her skull. She reached out as fast as she could, gripping his fist and stopping it in mid-air. This evoked a number of cheers from the crowd in her favour. After the first mate shot them a glare, they quickly changed to booing her.

"You should give up now, farmer girl," called Ace from the sidelines, unfolding his legs as he spoke. He was getting into this a little too much. He didn't have time to assess her and frankly, he would only think about such things if she completed her goal. If she could do that much, then he'd definitely let her in, without second thought. He had been entertaining the thought of inviting her into his crew since yesterday morning anyway, despite not wanting to admit it.

"Fuck off Flamey!" she shouted back, surprising herself by the vulgarity of her words. She watched as a vein popped on Ace's forehead as he abruptly stood from his barrel.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" he questioned, his tone filling with seething rage. His fists were engulfed in flames as he clenched them tightly. This freaked the girl out a little as she worried over how much those fists would hurt if they met with her flesh. Despite this fear, she smirked and gathered her confidence once more, her heart beating dangerously fast in her chest.

"Nothing at all," she mused as calmly as possible. Just as the words rolled form her lips, the first mate threw another punch at her. A tingling in the back of her mind prompted her to duck swiftly before standing on the other side of his arm and bringing a kick into the side of his head with a cracking sound. He shot her a grin, catching the girl off guard. He had been expecting her to do that, of course, but he could tell that with that wound, the girl wouldn't last much longer. He didn't fall to the ground (that would be over-selling it); he simply wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with a satisfied smile.

The girl looked overly pleased with herself, grinning like a moron. She placed her hands on her hips, turning towards Ace in the process. She hoped that was enough for him to let her in, hell, it needed to be. Otherwise, poor Ace would find the girl hiding out in the cargo hold of his ship, eating all of their food. She couldn't believe she was that desperate.

"You underestimated her," noted Ace. "You should have gone harder on her." Great, just great, now he _had_ to let her in. He wasn't about to go back on his words, or back down on the bet that he had made. He had no choice now. He groaned loudly in annoyance as he strode over to her.

"Yes, I did," he lied. He felt sort of guilty for lying to his Captain but it was for the greater good. "But that was a good kick and you could see that she's fast. What do you think boys?" He turned to the crowd who were still cheering. Their cheers increased in volume for a moment but quietened once the pirates noticed their captain's glare.

"You do realise just how difficult life out at sea is right?" he began lecturing her, getting up in her face. She seemed intimidated by this, the kind of reaction he was expecting, but she didn't back down, despite the look of fear crossing her expression. She nodded in agreement, biting her bottom lip as she leaned away from him slightly. She could feel his hot breath fanning her face, embarrassment rising within her. She just wanted him to let her in so she could get out of this argument – she hated arguing more intensely than useless banter.

"You do realise that I'll be forced to treat you like a man from here on out?" She nodded once more, an idea coming to her mind that had her grinning stupidly. That meant she didn't have to pretend to be so lady-like all the time, something she _really_ wasn't. Ace was beginning to give into her, giving into that determination glinting in her eyes and the passion that lay behind them. She really wanted nothing more than to see the world, didn't she?

"We'll all be training you harsher than you've ever been trained before, do you understand?" By now, he was letting his grin creep over his features again as he began to consider the bright sides of this situation. He was getting a new crew member, one that may prove to have abilities his other comrades didn't. She may also be smarter than the lot of them too, something that his crew was in need of. And on top of all that, having a girl around wouldn't be _so_ bad, especially if she ended up being strong.

"Fine," he gave in, the girl let out a heavy sigh as he backed away from her. She chuckled awkwardly, rubbing at her bruised side. She couldn't believe what she had just done, feeling overwhelmed with everything that had just happened. She was a pirate now, an actual pirate. She had left everything behind and was about to travel for God knows long with a group of strangers to God knows where. It was all so terrifying yet so exhilarating. She couldn't even begin to comprehend the sheer number of intense emotions streaming through her.

She bowed slightly, the man smiling earnestly at the gesture. "You have no idea what you have just done for me, Captain. Thank you." He had freed her, freed her from the boredom, the mundane, her forced, unnatural self and from the predictable. She was in his debt now though she didn't respect him enough yet to truly hold to that debt. She didn't see his reaction, missing the light blush that tainted his cheeks for a moment before he regained his composure.

"Don't be so polite," chuckled the first mate, "you're one of us now." His words were met by the frivolous cheers of the rest of the crew as they crowded closer, raising her into the air and tossing her up and down. The gesture scared the living daylights out of her, prompting her to yelp and start screaming and laughing at the same time. Soon enough, they set her down, allowing her to face her Captain once more.

"So, what's your name Blondie?" he asked. With a gasp, she realised she hadn't given him her name this entire time. She giggled, placing a hand on her hip and grinning at him. He grinned back, not feeling so averse to her anymore. It was funny how that one battle changed his opinion of her somewhat. She was still weak, of course, but she had spunk and fire in her and that was enough to push him over the edge.

"It's Paige. Paige Gambit," she introduced. Ace held out his hand for her to shake, the girl calling out in shock as flames embracing her hand, singing her flesh. She pulled away just in time to avoid getting burnt. Ace chuckled, placing an arm around her shoulders, prompting her to get even more flustered by the contact.

"Well, let's just hope you don't die tomorrow, Paige," he said as he began to pull her onto the wharf. "Then you would have been a waste of my time." This offended her, prompting her to wrestle out of his heated grip, pouting childishly at him. She was beginning to like this man already – he seemed fun, unlike all the boring people of her village. She knew very little about him at the moment but there was just something about the flicker of life in his eyes that drew her to him.

"Then it would have been a waste of my time too," she admitted. "But I promise you, Freckles, that I won't let you down."  
"Touché," Ace chuckled.

 _I couldn't have wished for more. As soon as I set out on the seas that day, I knew my life was going to go on an upward spiral, even if I had become a criminal. I had found that freedom, that individuality, that adventure that I had craved for so long._

 _It was funny how different our relationship was back then compared to today. I would often annoy him, having grown addicted to that flustered, pissed off look on his face. As revenge, he would do the same to me. In time, I rose from being the cabin girl, to being his second mate, if there was such a thing. We grew close to one another, close enough to allow us to learn all sorts of things we would have never guessed about each other when we met. I followed him blindly for years - even after he was inducted by the Whitebeard Pirates. I joined them not long after he was taken since I found, at that time, I really had no one else to lay my life down for._

 _He's more accepting of a woman's strength now, after having seen me bring down countless enemies and take on all the training and work he threw at me with the same vigour, if not more so than the men of the Spade Pirates._

 _I've seen and experienced things you wouldn't believe; I've climbed to heights no one would dare reach and I've forged unbreakable bonds with my comrades._

 _And to think, it was all because of that fiery, freckled idiot; an idiot that had reshuffled my card deck of fate._

 _~End~_


End file.
